Enforced Stopping

It's been a while...

We've been really fortunate with the absence of illness recently.  I'm hoping it's a benefit of having had every known bug known to man in the first few years of my parenthood.  Maybe, now we're not so sleep deprived, we don't have to incubate every illness we come across.  That's an encouraging thought.

It couldn't last forever though.  The night before last, I awoke to a vague whimpering sound.  As I came to - it was apparent that Nathan had also recently woken up.  Poor chap had woken up lying in his own vomit.  His main concern was being so cold.

So - saving you any more unpleasant details - the rest of the night was no fun.  Suffice to say - little sleep was had, and much laundry was created.

Nathan's school has a policy that following this sort of bug, you can't go back until you've been vomit free for 48 hours.  All fair enough.  Yesterday Nathan was not too bad, but today he's pretty much back to normal.  He's downstairs playing with some toys as I type.

And actually I'm grateful.  Here I am - having to be at home - doing enforced stopping.  (I'm also grateful that my children are now old enough to at least attempt aiming their vomit into an appropriate receptacle - although I did promise no more unpleasant details...)

Don't get me wrong, I've spent a lot of time doing housework, and other jobs.  However, I've also been building marble runs, playing dominoes, driving cars, being read stories (Nathan very rarely lets anyone read to him at the moment, but he does like an audience for his reading...) and sitting with him on the sofa.  Nathan is a very companionable chap.

So I'm not rushing off to do x, y and z today.  I'm off to chill out with the boy xx

Wisdom and Tractors

Nathan's been at home with me for the last couple of days, due to him having the same virus as me (we like to share!)...  As you know from my last post, being ill and coughing all night doesn't fill me with joy, and I hate seeing the children poorly too; however - there are silver linings if you look for them...

I spent this morning in pyjamas, (Thank you Sarah for doing the school run for me xx) playing snap, having cuddles and warm drinks, and generally chilling out with my littlest boy.  Life with Nathan isn't always fun and games, but his concerns are generally less complicated than a grown up.  We spent a fair bit of time sat on stools in the kitchen, pretending we were riding on a tractor.  The biggest concern in Nathan's head wasn't: "This cough is really annoying and tiring, and I wish I felt better" - valid though that would have been.  His head was occupied with much more interesting things, like how to make the best tractor engine noise, and which location we should visit on our tractor next...  Obviously it's perfectly plausible to ride on your pretend tractor to Thomas Land, and then continue on to go Ten Pin Bowling...  in Africa.  And then drive back to your farm again.

Sometimes I think I could learn a lot from Nathan and his approach to life, (although maybe not his geography!)  The way he's feeling doesn't interrupt the more important things in life, like playing; or when it is bad enough to properly get in the way, he just comes to me - knowing that I'll do my best to sort it out for him, he trusts his mummy, and doesn't waste his time and energy worrying about things he can't sort out anyway. 

After lunch today, he just crawled up onto my lap.  When I asked if he was tired, he said he was - so I took him up to bed for a nap.  As we walked up the stairs, he said "then I can play later"; something I always used to say to him to convince him to have a nap, 'so he had the energy to play later'.  Hmmm...  Resting; so you have the energy to do something later.  Sounds like another useful tip to me.

In the Bible there are two women called Mary and Martha.  They are sisters who are hosting Jesus and his friends, and there's obviously lots to do (sound familiar?)  Martha is cross - as Mary is spending all her time listening to Jesus, and not helping her with the work.  I feel for Martha, I understand the pull of trying to get everything done, and the frustration of not getting the help she thought she should have; but she missed out.  She missed the opportunity to sit and listen, to be with Jesus, to rest - so she had the energy to play later.  After all, Jesus did say: "Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) 

Maybe I need to be a bit more Mary (or Nathan), and a bit less Martha.  I think I started today by playing tractors, and ignoring the washing.